More Intros

Hey all,

It seems Katie beat me to the punch, but let me introduce myself anyway. Kara Sanders. Crazy (in the good way) friend of Katie's, and actually just about everyone else. I'm the sort of person that hangs out with everyone: nerds, jocks, techies, the GSA crowd, church folk, and yes, even some cheerleaders. Actually, I hate using labels to describe anyone, but the English language only has so much leeway for expressing the range of different attitudes, talents, and personalities my friends have. Stereotypes are a pet peeve of mine, but I shouldn't go into a rant just yet - you still don't know me.

Since people often seem surprised, let me clarify: yes, I'm a Christian, and bisexual, but they don't have to be mutually exclusive… well, not necessarily. I find myself avoiding the subject in both arenas. It's just easier that way. I can't stomach conflict, in any form. On the other hand, my choice to be quiet at times doesn't stop me from having opinions - strong ones in fact. The conversation that led to me being invited to join as a co-author started when I requested a particular rant be expressed. Something I saw just angered me, severely, and… I won't spoil it, though. Katie promises me she's got the topic covered. It'll be up soon, ideally.

You know, it's hard to just introduce myself. I never know what to say. I think a play I saw the other day summed it up best, in the line that was repeated at the beginning and end, and a variant stated by almost every character in the middle, "You think you know me. You think you've got me pegged. But you don't. How could you? I don't even know myself." I really like that line. (Yes, The Wrestling Season is awesome. And it usually takes a lot to impress me, but I might reference this one fairly often for the first couple weeks I'm around. It was powerful and oddly worthwhile, for a school play.)

Honestly, with as many facts as I could tell you about myself, nothing I could say would describe me with anything close to a full picture, so I don't think I'll try. You readers should be perfectly capable of judging me by what I say and how I act, not just who I claim to be.
I'm sure you're still curious about me, though, so let me share a few tidbits you aren't likely to hear about in any of my rants.
- I have a slight obsession for logic puzzles. These include mazes, by loose definition, and the standard sudoku and cross-sums, but my favorite are Picross: what Games magazine calls "Paint by Numbers" and a korean website calls 니모니모 ("nemo nemo" and no, there's no meaningful translation.) I don't expect many people to have heard of these puzzles, but that is definitely my favorite type. EDIT: Excuse me, I stand corrected. 니모 apparently means square, but "square-square" puzzles as a title make about as much sense as "paint by numbers." But there is actually a halfway meaningful translation of the title.
- I'm a closet romantic: even when I know that a situation can't be resolved, I always manage to convince myself that it will work out perfectly in the end, like a book. This applies to my relationships, definitely, but also to how I treat life in general. For that reason, whenever things DON'T work out anywhere close to ideally, I get really upset, because I inevitably have failed to mentally prepare myself for such a shortcoming.
- you will never EVER catch me in a skirt. I despise the things. I've always been an outdoorsy sort, and ever since I found out I would get in trouble for climbing a tree in my church dress, (or any dress at all) I learned to hate them. Not that I would judge anyone else for wearing a skirt. They're just not for me. (Makeup is another topic I think of similarly, but I might get around to a good discussion on its downfalls eventually.)
- You probably will notice this, but it's still worth saying: I love music. I am a musician, and I can always tie what I'm talking about to the lyrics of a song that I like. Frequently, I mention it too, but I know better than to assume that everyone knows the same obscure music I listen to, so I won't always express the connection.
- I love writing, but I'm not sure whether I am better at producing fiction or nonfiction. Fiction is harder, but usually more fun to write, if school experiences can predict anything, but I've never written a blog for school. I guess we'll find out together.

And that's all for now.
More again later.